Thrice Defied: The First
by WiseWithWords
Summary: The prophecy of Sybil Trelawney tells us that the parents of Harry Potter defied Lord Voldemort three times. This is the first time Lily Evans and James Potter encounter the dark wizard.
1. Chapter 1

**Dicsclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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A seventeen year old, red haired young girl was sitting in the snow surrounding the Shrieking Shack muttering angrily to herself about something. This is Lily Evans, student, witch, Gryffindor and Head Girl at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The something she was muttering about was Hogwarts' Head Boy, James Potter.

"What is it with him? Six years of being an annoying arrogant, bullying, little toerag and now he's polite, well-mannered and actually appears to take our Head duties seriously. It's so infuriating, maybe he's planning something, getting us all to think he's changed and he'll prank us all again. He's not even asking me out everyday anymore, not that I'm complaining about it," muttered Lily, a defiant yet confused expression on her face.

Just then, a dark haired boy with glasses came over the hill,  
"Hello Evans," he called. Speak of the devil, thought Lily as she got up to _greet_ the boy.  
"What do you want Potter?" she asked in a bored voice. He smiled and replied,  
"just to talk to about something." Before she could reply the voice of Sirius Black came from James' coat pocket shouting,  
"James Potter!" over and over again.

James turned away from Lily, took a mirror out of his pocket and started talking into it. Lily could only hear snippets of his conversation,  
"…you serious?...up by that cave…she's with me…" and she couldn't understand any of it

James turned to Lily, a worried expression on his face,  
"Death Eaters are approaching Hogsmeade, we need to get the students out of there, Sirius and Remus are alerting the villagers, come on." Lily was dumbfounded, Death Eaters in Hogsmeade? Pulling herself together, she followed James, Apparating to the main street of Hogsmeade.

Once there, James pointed his wand at his own throat and said _Sonorus_. Immediately his voice amplified and he called,  
"All Hogwarts students return to the castle immediately by order of the Head Boy and Girl." Students came out of all of the shops and started to walk up to the castle at quite a slow pace so James added,  
"Will the prefects make sure everyone gets up to the castle as quickly as possible as this is an emergency."

Lily came running up to James,  
"Potter, we need to check that there are no students left here, you check that side of the street and I'll check this side. Oh, someone has to tell Dumbledore too." James turned towards Hogwarts and cast a Patronus. Lily looked at him in shock and half-asked, half-declared,  
"You're in the Order-"

Here James interrupted,  
"Not here, come on, let's move…and yes."

They split up when James went into the Hog's Head and Lily went into the Three Broomsticks where Madam Rosmerta quickly informed her,  
"I sent all of the kids up to the castle after your announcement, I went to all of the shops along this street." Lily was very grateful and when she left the pub after thanking Madam Rosmerta, she went up to the other end of the village where the locals lived to warn them.

The Death Eaters were already there. She saw and old man running away and Stunned the Death Eater chasing him but then another turned to her and attempted to Stun her. However, she simply disarmed him.  
"Expelliarmus," called another Death Eater but Lily deflected it. She then cast a Trip Jinx on him and he fell flat on his face. "Expelliarmus," cried James who had just arrived, as he spotted a Death Eater whose wand was pointed straight at Lily.

They carried on fighting for a while but the two students were greatly outnumbered. Lily was the first to fall, swiftly followed by James, each on the recieving end of a powerful Stunning Death Eaters then quickly Disapparated from the village, carrying the teenagers' unconscious bodies with them.

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_Reviews are appreciated._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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"Where am I?" was Lily's first thought after she woke up. She looked around. She was in a small, cramped, dark dungeon and lying there in the corner was the unconscious form of James Potter. Lily crept over to him,  
"Potter, wake up! Come on, please wake up," she pleaded, "James, wake up!"  
James eventually stirred, rolling over on the cold stone floor,  
"Five more minutes Mum," he murmured. Lily laughed and he woke up,  
"Lily, where are we?" Lily replied gently, "I don't know but I'd say we'll be here for a good while. Unless, of course, they kill us first." They both sat there, just digesting the prospect of being stuck or being dead.

Eventually Lily spoke, this time a little more upbeat,  
"Well, since we are going to be stuck here, how about we play a game?" After about five minutes of _Rock, Parchment, Quill_ they went back to their own thoughts.

"James?" questioned Lily. He replied and Lily stayed silent for a moment before inquiring,  
"Why?" James was perplexed,  
"Why what?" Lily sighed,  
"Why everything? Why all those years did you not give up pursuing me? Why have you given up so suddenly this year? Why has it always been me?"

James sat down thinking deeply to himself before answering,  
"I never gave up because I wanted you more than I had ever wanted anything in my life before. I admit I showed it in the wrong way. I was as you once said, an arrogant bullying toerag and I don't blame you for turning me down. This year, I haven't given up on you, just on my old approach. I'm following Remus' advice, he said to try to be myself around you and not ask you out all of the time. The reason it has always been you is that because ever since I first saw you on Platform 9¾ I have been in love with you."

Suddenly, before Lily could reply the door opened, a Death Eater came in, immobilised Lily and James and levitated them out.

When they woke up they were tied to two chairs facing a desk behind which sat Lord Voldemort, who surveyed them for a moment before addressing them,  
"Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Potter, Mudblood, welcome." As they overcame their initial shock, James and Lily stared at him with joint hatred and disgust. This didn't seem to bother him as he turned to Lily,  
"Now, Mudblood, perhaps you can tell me where the McKinnons are hiding?" Lily just stared at him,  
"You expect me to sell out my best friend Tom?"

Voldemort's face twitched at the usage of his real name but he remained calm,  
"Very well, as you wish, Mudblood. Crucio!" James looked on in horror as Lily was hit with the Cruciatus Curse. Lily was twitching in her seat until Voldemort released the curse and she fell limp in the chair. Voldemort smiled at her before turning to James,  
"Now Potter, my sources tell me that at Halloween you were on a mission for your Order. Oh yes, I know all about your little organisation," he taunted looking at the shocked expression on James' face, "You were with the Auror Frank Longbottom. Tell me now, where did you go and what did Dumbledore tell you to do?"

James sat there not saying anything so Voldemort tried again,  
"Come on Potter, you tell me this and I may let the Mudblood live. Think about it." James looked at Lily; he would so anything for her, he had to tell. He was about to turn back to Voldemort when something stopped him. What would Lily do? What would she want him to do? She knew the importance of the Order, that much was clear from her reaction to his Patronus. He turned to Voldemort,  
"I have nothing to tell you," he said coldly with a lot more confidence than he actually felt.

Voldemort was not happy with this decision, "You are a fool Potter, just like your parents. In the end, I will win and where will you be? Crucio!" James twitched and jerked in his seat. His only comfort was the knowledge that he had made the right decision. The torture continued until the young wizard eventually passed out from the pain.

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_Reviews are appreciated._


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.**

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As Lily regained consciousness her mind was spinning. What had happened to her? The last thing she could remember was excruciating pain and feeling like she was about to die…What happened to James? Moments later, she noticed James kneeling beside her, looking very worried. Groaning, she sat up and voiced her thoughts. James jumped at the sound of her voice, "Voldemort tried bribing us into giving him information about the Order. He used the Cruciatus when we refused. We passed out and the next thing I knew I was waking up in here." Lily looked puzzled,  
"What do you mean he tried to bribe you? How?"

James sighed before speaking rapidly, "He said that if I gave him the information he wanted hewouldletyoulive," his words scrambled as he looked more and more uncomfortable. Lily laughed,  
"Sorry, could you repeat that, I didn't quite catch it?" James looked really embarrassed and spoke quietly,  
"He said that he would let you live." Lily was shocked,  
"What did you say?"

James took a deep breath before looking Lily directly in the eye and speaking,  
"Well, at first I didn't give it a second thought, I was going to tell him. Of course I would, if it would save you. Then I looked over at you and I thought about what I thought you would want me to do. I thought that, being part of the Order, which by the way, has completely re-evaluated my opinion of you, that you would prefer me not saying anything. I envisaged how you would react if it were the other way around so I kept my mouth shut."

Lily looked relieved at his response,  
"Thank you, because if you had told him I would have killed you and I hope you knew it. Though, I have to confess if it had been the other way around, I would have felt exactly the same way."

They sat in silence for a while until suddenly, Lily sat up straight. She spoke carefully,  
"James, do you still have that mirror thing you were talking to Sirius through?" He stood up, realising what she was thinking,  
"Yeah, I do. Hold on a second!" James found the mirror and spoke into it,  
"Sirius Black." Sirius' face appeared in the mirror and James started speaking as fast as he could,  
"Sirius mate, Lily and I are stuck together in a dungeon at Malfoy Manor. You-Know-Who is here and he's asking serious questions about the Order. Tell Dumbledore, we're lucky to still be alive and we need to get out of here fast."

He listened to Sirius for a minute before putting away the mirror carefully and turning to Lily,  
"Sirius is going to get Dumbledore, we need to be ready to move so I've come up with a plan. When the Order arrive, the guard will probably try to move us so I'm going to lunge at him and you go for his wand. Okay?" Lily looked slightly in awe of how James was taking control of the situation and nodded her response.

They waited in silence for about half an hour before hearing shouts from above,  
"It's Dumbledore, make sure they can't get out." When a Death Eater came in to check on them James swung at him and Lily grabbed his wand easily. They raced upstairs as fast as their tortured bodies could allow them and saw many members of the Order battling fiercely against the Death Eaters. Frank Longbottom, who had just Stunned his opponent, looked up and made his way over to them,  
"There's only Voldemort left and Dumbledore is on his case. He said to make sure you take this Portkey back to Hogwarts immediately." Frank handed them an old sock and James managed a feeble grin,  
"Thanks Frank, we'll see you around." James and Lily grasped the Portkey and waited for the peculiar tug to let them know they were leaving. Landing in a heap on the floor in Dumbledore's office they were relieved to find Madam Pomfrey waiting with an agitated expression and her Healer supplies at the ready.

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_Reviews are appreciated._


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